Sergio Alfonso Escandon
October 24, 1931 — December 10, 2023
Sergio Alfonso Escandon was born October 24, 1933, in Guayaquil, Ecuador to Luis Alfonso Escandon and Merida Geneveba Hernandez. He was the third of thirteen children, and the first son of Luis and Merida. Guayaquil, a coastal city and the largest in Ecuador, was where he spent his early life attending schools and working to help his parents and siblings. Sergio excelled in math and science in his primary and secondary schooling. He was admitted to the University of Guayaquil’s engineering program but was forced to drop out after two years due to the cost and the need to support his family.
Sergio was a man of many talents. He was a gifted soccer player and played for the semi-professional team Emelec. But as with his education, his dream of continuing his athletic career would be hampered by the need to provide financial support to his parents. He would take on various jobs that were connected to the shipping business that ran through the bustling port of Guayaquil. Eventually, he landed a job with the United Fruit Company that allowed him to travel the world delivering bananas and other delicacies from Ecuador. He also worked with the US Merchant Marines and found himself in the Korean Peninsula during the Korean conflict beginning in 1951. He would return to Ecuador and continue his roles in the shipping business but was determined to finish what he started with his education.
In 1961, he immigrated to the United States. He worked various jobs from dishwasher, to cook, to janitor, and eventually an assembler in an auto factory. He saved enough money to help his two younger brothers move to New York with him. Wanting to finish his engineering degree, he enrolled in a day and night class to learn English. That’s where he met Marina Martinez. After a brief courtship they married in 1965. A year later, they welcomed their first child, Monica, followed by their son Yuri. Sergio completed his HVAC technician degree later that year. Before he could reap the rewards of his degree, he made the choice to leave New York and return to Ecuador to care for his ailing father. The financial hardships the family faced in Ecuador were many and deep, but in 1976 they welcomed their third and last child David.
Sergio would eventually make his way back to the United States. He found a job with a former employer Puro Filter in Los Angeles, California. In 1982, the family was reunited and settled in the small city of Bell Gardens, California, east of downtown Los Angeles. Sergio and Marina would become homeowners for the first time in 1989 after purchasing a single-family home in South Gate. They lived and worked until they retired from their jobs in 1998. They returned to Colombia to live out their golden years. In 2014, due to Marina’s ailing health, they returned to live in the small mother-in-law unit that was built on Yuri’s property to care for them. Marina would pass away in 2016 after 53 years of marriage to Sergio. Sergio was heartbroken and in despair, but his children rallied to his side to keep him mentally strong. He would last another 7 years before his own passing.
Sergio’s life is a story of heartbreak, struggle, resiliency, and hope. He was a man of honor and duty, faithfully fulfilling his responsibilities to his parents and siblings, to his wife and children. He sacrificed a great deal, and his greatest gifts were his children, all three graduates from prestigious universities. He is remembered as a man with a strong steel-like personality on the outside, but with a soft, compassionate, and loving spirit on the inside.
Sergio is survived by his three children: daughter Monica (Jim) Kinkade of Syracuse, Utah; son, Yuri (Tara) Escandon of Downey, California; and son David (Betsy) Escandon of San Jose, California. He also leaves behind nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Condolences for the family may be sent through our website.
Sergio was a man of many talents. He was a gifted soccer player and played for the semi-professional team Emelec. But as with his education, his dream of continuing his athletic career would be hampered by the need to provide financial support to his parents. He would take on various jobs that were connected to the shipping business that ran through the bustling port of Guayaquil. Eventually, he landed a job with the United Fruit Company that allowed him to travel the world delivering bananas and other delicacies from Ecuador. He also worked with the US Merchant Marines and found himself in the Korean Peninsula during the Korean conflict beginning in 1951. He would return to Ecuador and continue his roles in the shipping business but was determined to finish what he started with his education.
In 1961, he immigrated to the United States. He worked various jobs from dishwasher, to cook, to janitor, and eventually an assembler in an auto factory. He saved enough money to help his two younger brothers move to New York with him. Wanting to finish his engineering degree, he enrolled in a day and night class to learn English. That’s where he met Marina Martinez. After a brief courtship they married in 1965. A year later, they welcomed their first child, Monica, followed by their son Yuri. Sergio completed his HVAC technician degree later that year. Before he could reap the rewards of his degree, he made the choice to leave New York and return to Ecuador to care for his ailing father. The financial hardships the family faced in Ecuador were many and deep, but in 1976 they welcomed their third and last child David.
Sergio would eventually make his way back to the United States. He found a job with a former employer Puro Filter in Los Angeles, California. In 1982, the family was reunited and settled in the small city of Bell Gardens, California, east of downtown Los Angeles. Sergio and Marina would become homeowners for the first time in 1989 after purchasing a single-family home in South Gate. They lived and worked until they retired from their jobs in 1998. They returned to Colombia to live out their golden years. In 2014, due to Marina’s ailing health, they returned to live in the small mother-in-law unit that was built on Yuri’s property to care for them. Marina would pass away in 2016 after 53 years of marriage to Sergio. Sergio was heartbroken and in despair, but his children rallied to his side to keep him mentally strong. He would last another 7 years before his own passing.
Sergio’s life is a story of heartbreak, struggle, resiliency, and hope. He was a man of honor and duty, faithfully fulfilling his responsibilities to his parents and siblings, to his wife and children. He sacrificed a great deal, and his greatest gifts were his children, all three graduates from prestigious universities. He is remembered as a man with a strong steel-like personality on the outside, but with a soft, compassionate, and loving spirit on the inside.
Sergio is survived by his three children: daughter Monica (Jim) Kinkade of Syracuse, Utah; son, Yuri (Tara) Escandon of Downey, California; and son David (Betsy) Escandon of San Jose, California. He also leaves behind nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Condolences for the family may be sent through our website.
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